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Turning Points
12. I Am Superior
Author: Batman_Wolverine (a.k.a. Bruce Logan)
Summary: What has Luther been
up to. (Chapter title from JLU episode, ‘I Am
Legion’)
Weeks ago,
“YYAARRGGGHHH!!”
*CRASH*
The sound of the semi assembled robotic arm
smashing against the wall boomed aloud in the hall
like room, its echoes trailing in the empty
corridors on the other side of the door.
“Damn Monkey.” The baritone voice carried as
much venom as it did anger. “Who does he think
he is. Treating me, Lex Luther, like I am his
personal slave.”
In response, his other half, the sentient computer
Brainiac, reminded him why they had joined
Gorilla Grodd’s Legion of Supervillains in the first
place. It was all because of the only remaining
piece of Brainiac’s physical self, the one that
Grodd had in his possession. It was just before what
Lex had thought would be a onetime deal, but turned
out to be just a first of many missions and payoffs
that he had to make for the telepathic Gorilla.
“Give me the piece of Brainiac and we are even.”
“Not yet Lex. Today was just a test. Your next
mission is for real.”
“He still has something we need. We have to put with
him, for now.”
“I should kill you.”
“But you won’t”
“No…Not today.”
“I won’t kill you now monkey,” Luther cursed
aloud once again. “Death will be too easy for
someone like you. I will make you pay for every
single thing that I have had to do these past
months, every single time when you have tried to
show yourself to be superior than any man.”
An idea forming in his mind, he jerked his head
towards the left, towards a rather large piece of
machinery behind which a slim, teenager like form
was crouched, in an effort to stay out of the fire.
“You. Toyman.” Barked Luther. “Come here.”
“Y-Yes Boss.” Even as his face sported its ever
present smile, the diminutive Toyman’s nervousness
sounded clear in his voice. “Want something boss?”
“Yes. Get out.”
“Huh?”
“Get out you idiot. Stay out and don’t allow anyone
to disturb me until I call for you again.”
“Uh-okay boss.” More than happy and rather relieved
at being able to make a safe getaway, especially
after the last time when Luther in his rage had
nearly knocked off his head, Toyman scurried out the
door, feeling safe only after the click of the door
lock sounded behind him. Hopefully by the time
Luther called him again, his temper would have
cooled down to less harmful level…harmful for Toyman
that is.
And cool it did. It cooled down so much that the
next time i.e. almost nine hours after sending him
on sentry duty, Luther called him, the bald man had
a rather smug but still sinister smile on his face.
“I want you to find someone for me.” It was straight down to
business.
“Find?” Toyman tilted his head up to him. “Who Boss?”
“His name is Prometheus. Find him and tell him that someone requires his…services.”
“Done boss.” Getting ready to leave again, Toyman stopped at Luther’s reminder
to him.
“Do it alone. Don’t let anyone know about it.” That meant not taking Bizarro or
any of the other Luther supporters in the Legion. “Contact him, but without
using my name anywhere. I don’t want anyone to know about this.” ‘Not yet
anyway,’ he added to himself.
Once the other man left, Luther returned to ruminate on his plans and how
this change was going to play in the larger scheme of things, all working
towards two objectives, one of which, life before, was to find Brianiac and once
again merge with him and the second, a more pressing one (for the man part of
Luther-Brainiac) was to take down Grodd.
“Monkey. You might be far superior to any man…” he spoke to no one in
particular. “…but at the end of the day, that’s all you are. A lowly monkey. One
who has forgotten his place in the chain of evolution.”
---
Recently,
Making the first move of his elaborate plan to both keep the League busy, thus
keeping its attention away from the Legion and to take over the Super-Villain
group at the same time, Lex Luther had ventured out of the safety of the Legion
headquarters, and was now standing in front of the man he had selected to make
his first hit…right at the brain center of the League. The Batman. Next in line
was that infernal idiot, the one who took Brainiac away from him. The Flash.
Along with these two, there was also a list of six randomly chosen Leaguers,
with neither of them being from the executive council. It was a simple yet
ingenious plan. One hit per week for eight weeks, with Batman and Flash making
up for week one and five. As for the other six weeks, Green Arrow, WildCat,
Katana, Aztec, Crimson Fox and Gypsy, made them up respectively. Three men and
three women. After al, no matter what, no one could accuse Lex Luther of not
being an equal opportunity person. Even villains he had chosen were three and
three each….except for Toyman who he wasn’t too sure about.
One thing he had clearly avoided, especially given his past, was going against
Superman or anyone close to him. It was a deliberate choice, because even if he
wanted to hurt the League and keep them involved, Luther wanted to do so without
drawing too much attention. And bringing in the Kryptonian into play…well, that
pretty much ruled out anything covert. It was for the same reason that Bizarro
had been kept out.
“When do you want it done?” Bereft of his helmet, Prometheus’s silver colored
hair stood out in the sparsely lighted warehouse.
“A week from now.” Lex answered from the shadows, Toyman standing close behind
him. “Here is half of the money.” He gestured towards the robot/android. “The
other half…”
“Not now.” Prometheus lifted a gloved hand. “Not for this hit.”
“What do you mean?” Luther’s voice dropped as his suspicion rose.
“This time, I’ll take it only after its done.” After all it wasn’t everyday that
you got the hit on the Batman. This one, as much as it was a job, it was also a
name maker, a sort of Superbowl Ring for someone like Prometheus. “Just
let me know how do you want him? Want me to bring him to you? Alive or
preferably Dead?”
A corner of his lips curving up seeing kindred pride, Luther took a few seconds
to ruminate over his choices.
“One, I don’t want my name to be even remotely attached to this. Two, I want him
left alive, but only just. If he succumbs to his injuries…then it isn’t our
problem, is it. Three, I want that hellhole he tries so hard to salvage, to be
set on fire….just not by us. I want it to be done by the ones who have been
wronged by him. And four, I want it done so as to return a favor to a…friend.”
“A friend?” Prometheus arched an eyebrow in query.
“Yes. The Joker. I want the Joker to be freed to put a smile on the people of
Gotham. Their final smile.”
----
What Luther had told neither Toyman, nor Prometheus or even the person he was to
contact for the hit on Arkham, Harleyquinn, was that from a surprise visit by a
pro bono lawyer, the Joker already knew about his upcoming release,
and about the two million dollars to finance his activities.
Next in line was Merlyn, and unlike Prometheus whose main aim was the man rather
than the city, Merlyn was to do an equal split, hitting both Star City and its
guardian, Green Arrow.
Progressing each week, it would all culminate two months from now, just in time
for Grodd’s planned attack on his erstwhile home, Gorilla City. Once that was
over, the monkey would give up to his position to a someone even
superior, him, Lex-Brainiac Luther.
---
Present time, Gotham City,
“Just what do you think you are doing?” Stopping mid move, Tim Drake stared at
livid red face of woman standing in the doorway, Alfred’s calm but concerned
form just behind her.
“We are taking him to the cave.” It was Dick who answered, calmly resuming the
actions that had stopped from the intrusion.
“Are you out of your mind?” Stomping up to the bed, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, got
right in the face of the young man, deliberately coming in between him and the
bed where a still unconscious Bruce Wayne lay, blissfully ignorant of the goings
on around him.
“Leslie.” Dick sighed, his frustration clear on his face. Bags under his eyes,
fatigue lines around his mouth, and sporting a two day old stubble, Dick Grayson
looked anything but rested. Not helping matters was the bandage on his right
arm, over his costume, the one he hadn’t taken off since returning from his
patrol over three hours ago and from handing over Arnold Wesker, the
Ventriloquist to the G.C.P.D. With the other four, the Joker, Two-Face, Poison
Ivy and Lock Up, still out there, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before one or
all of them made their move. In such a position, keeping Bruce here in the city,
even if it was in an secret section of the basement of Leslie’s clinic, wasn’t
something he was at ease with.
“Don’t Leslie me.” Running a hand through her hair, the doctor stared down all
the three men in the room. “I told you that in his current state….”
“I know that.” Dick snapped, almost feeling sorry at how much of Batman had
sounded in him.
“Don’t you dare use that tone with me, Richard Grayson. Don’t. You. Dare.”
Leslie was equally heated in her response. “I did not spend five hours, dig out
dozens of bullet fragments, set two bones and bandage just about half of his
body so that you could play Batman junior and play along with his muse to act as
if he is invulnerable.”
“Leslie…” Alfred started, only to be silence by a raised hand.
“No, Alfred. You might have to and want to go along with their ruse to dress and
go about beating people, trying to get peace without using anything other than
intimidation and violence, but I don’t.” Returning her stare to Dick, she
carried on. “You want to take him out of here without him recovering and I swear
that you will have to do it over my dead body.”
Silence reigned in the room, until…until a female voice sounded through Dick
communicator.
“Nightwing.” It was Raven on the other side. “Nightwing? Are you there?”
A deep frown still darkening his face, Nightwing lifted a hand and answered the
call. “This is not a good ti….WHAT!” His expression changed mid-sentence,
as did his physical demeanor. “I’ll be right there.”
“Dick?” Tim too was up and ready to move. “What is it?”
“I have to go,” Dick answered, already pulling on his gloves. “Contact Babs and
tell her to come here.”
“What about Bruce?” Tim gestured at their mentor’s prone form.
“Him.” Dick glanced from Bruce to Leslie to Tim and finally to Alfred. At
getting a near imperceptible nod from the Wayne family butler and senior, “Let
him be here…but only till he is fit enough to move,” he relented, but only just.
Knowing Bruce, as soon as he woke up, he would make the move himself. “Tim….” He
started.
“Yes.”
“Contact the Huntress.” Both Tim and Alfred raised eyebrows at that.
“Tell…request for help. I will be away for sometime. Titan business.”
“What happened” Tim knew enough that for Dick to react this way, it had to be
something very personal. Except for Bruce there were only a handful of people
for whom Dick got so agitated, and with three of them already in this room, and
one at her home, the list got whittled down to basically the Titans.
“Roy’s been shot.”
---
Elsewhere on Themiscyra,
“You’ll be what!!” Diana’s bellow sounded through the marble corridors.
“Wonder Girl.” The lively teenager answered with seemingly never ending zest.
“Sounds great doesn’t it. I even have a punch line.”
“Punch Line?” Diana echoed with a sinking feeling in her gut.
“Yes. Punch line….ahem,” Donna cleared her throat and adopted a welcoming pose..
“Ta da. Now presenting Wonder Girl.”
“Wonder Woman 2.0. Double the fun, none of the blow.”
“Hera. What have you got me into.”
Note: This chapter was mainly
to tie up the trailing plotlines from this fic to
the JLU cartoon series, with a helping of (a couple
of) events from Green Arrow’s IC tie-in, and of
course, the Titans nee Outsiders. But with all
modified for the Animated setting.
JLU Spoilers: s5e1 (I Am Legion), s5e6
(Dead Reckoning).
Next chapter…Who or What is Donna? The story of
Diana’s younger twin.
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